More water issues for our home….
When we took possession of out empty three-year-old house, the first thing the realtor and I noticed when we entered the foyer was a “damp” or “basement” smell. I almost cried. We just left a house with undisclosed water issues and if I had smelled that same smell in this house, we would not have bought it without further investigation.
The smell comes from the guest bathroom and permeates into the guest room next to it. The guest room carpet was probed and no moisture was detected in the pad. The bathroom has a tile floor. The smell has now changed and “ammonia” is the only word I can come up with to describe it.
Our home is built on a slab. There are springs in the area. The heating and air ductwork is in the ceiling. We have had our outside meters checked for leaks. There is no evidence of water coming in from the brick exterior wall. No water over the slab. The toilet and sink are used frequently. T he shower is not used often but I run the water whenever I think of it as some of the musty smell came from the drain in the beginning.
Why the smell? It is getting worse. What needs to be done by a professional to remedy this? Naturally, the previous owners of our home never noticed any problems.
Thank you.
Replies
Was there a pet in the house before? Was the former owner a guy that could've missed the toilet. Ammonia smell, as the heats off and the humidity increases just screams bad aim. That down in the grout is a tough job but I would think you could clean it up. Best of luck.
__________________________________________
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Thanks for the suggestions. No former pets. The tile is VERY, almost neurotically, clean. :)
What is the history of this house.
From your two thread it sounds like the house was built 3 years ago, but then sat until you bought it has fall. That there where no other occupants.
I am wonder if "builder" used that bathroom as a urnal before it was even tiled?
Do you have an bare contral any where. Try taking a 1x1 to 2x2 ft piece of clear plactic and taping it to concrete floor. Then waiting 24 hours. If you have a moisture problem then you will see beads of water under the plastic.
Sorry that I wasn't clear. The house is three years old. It was a semi-custom build for the people we bought it from. They had a lot of candles and potpourri and such and so we never noticed the strong musty smell that made it out of the bathroom to the front foyer the few times we were in the house. They finished moving out on the AM and we took possession that PM.
As for the grout, the tiles are large and the grout looks new and was sealed. I did sniff around the stall for you. The smell isn't from the floor. It seems to come out of the drains and the commode.
We think that this bathroom is the last line out of the house. We think all the plumbing exits to the street from this bathroom. The other rooms with plumbing appear fine.
I was wondering is the musty smell would still be there if it weren't for the stronger smell masking it? The musty smell used to remind me of damp dirt. That smell also seemed to come from the tub drain.
I have always been fond of trying the easiest solutions first and then working up to harder choices. That being said, has anyone checked the functionality of the venting system on the waste pipes. You may not be able to "see" inside the walls to investigate the entire system but perhaps checking at the roof line for clogged or partially blocked vent pipes (squirrels and birds have been known to make little nests in the warm moist vent pipes). This "may" result in some odor backing up through the drain line, but probably not if the trap is installed correctly and kept full of water.
If you are confident it is coming from the drain..after checking the vent lines, try plugging or covering the drain with a plumbers plug or plastic, leave the door closed all day and see if the smell is still there. Perhaps you are mistaken. I have also found a little baking soda and white vinegar down a "smelly" drain will modestly clean the drain and might eliminate the smell...maybe the former owner liked to relieve him/herself in the shower.
After those modest investments in time and effort, then call in a pro, cleaner then plumber and see what they think.
Watch out for the plumber though, if he comes out of his truck carrying a sledge hammer...lock the door!
Bill
Just kidding to all the plumbers who are about to rip me! Especially Wet Head Warrior, really guys, I love my plumber! Well, I don't know if I love him...let's just say he is a good guy.
Will try your suggestions this weekend. Thank you.
Al,
Sorry, no good suggestions for you. However I have a suggestion for anyone reading that Al alluded to... the fragrant candles/potpouri...
I bought my house via an auction (long story, but not your typical foreclosure type auction)... had one hour to inspect the house prior to auction. The funny thing is that the house had been listed via a realtor previously, and I was through the house months before during an open house.
Anyway, both times in the house... lots of scented candles. So, once I moved into the house it took three days to figure out what the smell in my basement was... the owners had two dogs, and well... you can guess that the trees out front of my house never saw any action. It all occurred in the basement.
Realizing the carpet was still wet from the dog's deposits, I put on a respirator, rubber gloves and had the enjoyment of tearing up the basement carpet (which, by the way, was glued down ALL over). And of course the carpet was glued to asphalt tiles, some of which came up with the carpet, some of which didn't. I won't tell you the pleasure of the whole experience...
The moral of this story... be very concerned when you see lots of those scented candles. Demand that you inspect the house without the "fragrance masking" going on. That way you'll know that the house smells like piss or a bad fart before you ever buy it!!
What he says about scented candles applies to any other masking scent, such as a cake or pie baking, or other odors. A friend of mine was selling his house. The place had always smelled OK until they got a dog. It stank and they allowed it inside, sleeping on carpets. I told him that anyone who is coming to look at his house would be met by a foul dog odor. If he wanted to sell the place for the price he was asking, the dog had to go. He told me that when people come to look at the house, his wife does baking or cooking. Anyway, such measures never really cover the bad odor. The bad odor just mutes the good baking smell. He did sell his place, however. Claims he "got his price." PT Barnum was right!
Al:
I also have a similar problem - see my entry slab musty smell. We have had numberous problems with our new home.
Our bathroom stinks. The smell is now in the family room, den, kitchen, and hallway. We are getting the same odor musty potato smell.
The builder has finally called in a company Jacques Whitford and associates to investigate.
My situation was so bad, my son who has asthma ended on life support.
This situation with us has been ongoing now for a year. Of couse my son does not live with us at this time. My husband and myself are now also getting sick.
We have spend over $3,000 of our own money trying to get this issue resolved. The builder on the other hand would only bring tape and caulking in his tool box to fix (really sore subject with me).
Finally after we had air quality test done and the results came back with Aspergillius Versicolor a toxic mold the builder and new home warranty are starting to get a little more aggressive in thier approach.
The reason I am writing to you in my desperation to find out if anyone else has described my situation an entry from cuyahoga to Bill 34833.8 in reply to 34833.1 explains his problem which is very similar.
Check it out you may find the DVW (I think that means clean out pipe) going up the cavity of the wall to the roof vent had a hole.
your turly
Even with the glazed tile exceptionally clean, what is the condition of the grout? How wide a grout joint for starters? Musty suggests water, ammonia suggests something else. Have you consulted a quality/trusted cleaning contractor? Could you not use the drains in there for a while to see if the smell goes away. Waste water leaks are hard to detect. I would think if you go away from any know main drains in the slab and do that plastic test, you might be able to narrow the source a little further. Best of luck.__________________________________________
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Al.
Get your plumber to do a smoke test. Wax rings can leak air even tho they don't leak water. May be a leak in vent line in wall.
KK
Another possibility is stuff in the overflow channels of the sink and tub; that's a great place for bacteria to grow.
Ditto on Bob's mention of the sink overflow channel- had this stinky in my own house. Had to flush and disinfect.
Ken Hill
Hate to bring this up as a possibility, but you may have broken or disconnected plumbing under the slab. A plumber can check this for you by plugging all the drains and the line to the street then checking for leaks in the system, similar to what is done during a rough-in inspection.
A decade+ later
Hi,
Was there a resolution to your problem? Can you recommend who we could hire for a similar problem? Since we moved into our house, our daughter's bathroom had a musty smell to it. The previous owners denied anything (a blatant lie) and so searching the forums, I did everything with vinegar, baking soda, and vinegar to get rid of it. My mother in law even gave me some random other things that I threw down there. I hired 3 plumbers -- all who said it was not a sewage smell. I hired a mold inspector who tested the air and said it was negative for mold (he also looked through the walls with something and didn't see mold). The dampness changed to a strong chemical smell. we are at our wits end. We don't know what's left except destroying the bathroom and I'm worried that would't even fix it--not that we could afford it. This house has been a money pit that past 4 months we've lived here and we don't know what to do. We're all sharing one bathroom cause I'm scared of what this smell is--it makes me dizzy and sick to my stomach (and ashmatic!).
I appreciate any help.